May 17 2011
Dari / Pashto Literacy in Afghanistan
Here’s a story that gave me the warm fuzzies.
It did not look like a classroom. Thirty women, ranging in age from fifteen to sixty-five, sat cross-legged on the floor in a cramped room the size of a large rug. Flies buzzed mercilessly in the 110-degree heat. The women did not look like students, with many staring at their pencils quizzically from behind full burqas, holding a writing utensil for the first time in their lives. As with most rooms in rural villages, there were no tables or chairs.
I have to admit a little scepticism when it comes to our involvement in Afghanistan. I’m not sure that all the bombs, money and clandestine Navy SEAL operations will be that useful to the average guy on the street. But I can speak from personal experience how great and profound being able to read is, and I’m sure literacy among Pashto / Dari speakers in Afghanistan will be wonderful for the country’s future.